In general, a display panel is a panel for displaying images. Recently, with development of technologies, curved display devices for enlarging a sense of immersion have been disclosed.
Such a curved display device having a curved surface, on which images are shown, provides users with immersion because the users can feel like they are in the images. A general curved display device has a thin display panel so that the display panel can be easily curved.
In order to make the display panel thin, the display panel is designed to be thin when it is first manufactured, but in the case of a prebuilt flat display panel, the display panel is etched to be made thin.
Korean Patent No. 10-1468455 published on Dec. 4, 2014 discloses an etching method for manufacturing thin display panel with a curved surface.
The conventional etching method for manufacturing a curved display panel by etching flat surfaces of first and second substrates between which a liquid crystal layer is formed, includes a protective layer forming step of forming a protective layer on the liquid crystal layer in a state where an actuation circuit unit having a printed circuit board (PCB) is combined to a display panel unit; a masking step of masking non-etched portions of top portions and both side portions of the first and second substrates and the actuation circuit unit; a substrate fixing step of vertically fixing the display panel on a substrate stand in a state where the masking part of the actuation circuit unit is supported; and an etching step of etching an etching portion of the flat surfaces of the first and second substrates. Therefore, the conventional etching method can make the prebuilt flat display panel thin.
However, such a conventional etching method has a disadvantage in that it takes a long time to mask because a protection tape is wound several times to mask the actuation circuit unit and the non-etched portions.
Moreover, the conventional etching method has another disadvantage in that it is somewhat difficult to mask even the actuation circuit unit having a complicated shape with the masking tape.
Furthermore, the conventional etching method has a further disadvantage in that an etching failure rate is high because an etching liquid permeates due to a poor adhesion of the masking tape.